Synonyms of prying

prying 1 of 4

adjective

ˈprī-iŋ 

1

as in curious

interested in what is not one's own business

as we moved into our new home, we could sense that there were prying eyes watching us

Synonyms & Similar Words

• curious
• inquisitive
• nosey
• nosy
• interested
• intrusive
• meddling
• questioning
• officious
• meddlesome
• interfering
• snoopy
• concerned
• obtrusive
• interrogative
• inquisitorial
• quizzical
• inquisitional

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• indifferent
• disinterested
• incurious
• uninterested
• unconcerned
• uncurious
• apathetic

2

as in busy

thrusting oneself where one is not welcome or invited

prying neighbors who refuse to mind their own business

Synonyms & Similar Words

• busy
• intruding
• intrusive
• nosey
• nosy
• meddling
• officious
• interfering
• meddlesome
• annoying
• pushing
• obtrusive
• pushy
• snoopy
• protrusive
• presumptuous
• rude
• presuming
• invading
• impudent
• brazen
• insolent
• curious
• trespassing
• inquisitive
• bumptious
• impertinent
• harassing
• overbearing
• bold
• pestiferous
• superserviceable

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• unobtrusive
• silent
• quiet
• uninvolved
• withdrawn
• reclusive
• reticent
• retiring
• restrained
• taciturn
• reserved
• inhibited
• hands-off
• subdued

prying

2 of 4

noun

as in questioning

Synonyms & Similar Words

• questioning
• interrogation
• inquiry
• interference
• concern
• wonderment
• attentiveness
• intrusiveness
• interest
• inquisitiveness
• regard
• obtrusiveness
• officiousness
• eavesdropping
• curiosity
• nosiness
• meddlesomeness
• curiousness
• rubbernecking

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• indifference
• disregard
• incuriosity
• incuriousness
• unconcern
• apathy
• disinterestedness

prying

3 of 4

verb (1)

present participle of pry

1

as in pulling

to raise, move, or pull apart with or as if with a lever

it took some effort to pry up the trap door

Synonyms & Similar Words

• pulling
• lifting
• breaking
• jimmying
• levering
• dividing
• elevating
• separating
• prizing
• shifting
• detaching
• hoisting
• disengaging
• uplifting
• parting
• breaking up
• disjoining

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• connecting
• joining

2

as in yanking

to draw out by force or with effort

a vain attempt to pry the cork out of a wine bottle

Synonyms & Similar Words

• pulling
• yanking
• extracting
• plucking
• removing
• uprooting
• tearing (out)
• wringing
• taking (out)
• prizing
• wresting
• corkscrewing
• rooting (out)
• mining
• withdrawing

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• inserting
• installing
• instilling
• implanting
• stuffing
• jamming
• wedging
• ramming
• cramming

prying

4 of 4

verb (2)

present participle of pry

as in interfering

to interest oneself in what is not one's concern

don't go prying into other people's business

Synonyms & Similar Words

• interfering
• messing
• snooping
• poking
• intruding
• meddling
• intervening
• obtruding
• nosing
• intermeddling
• interloping
• mucking (about or around)
• butting in
• invading
• encroaching
• fooling
• interceding
• interposing
• tampering
• trespassing
• infringing
• fiddling
• playing
• chiseling (in)
• monkeying
• chiselling (in)
• barging (in)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• avoiding
• ignoring
• shunning
• eschewing
• neglecting
• disregarding
• overlooking

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective prying contrast with its synonyms?

The words curious and inquisitive are common synonyms of prying. While all three words mean "interested in what is not one's personal or proper concern," prying implies busy meddling and officiousness.

prying neighbors who refuse to mind their own business

When is it sensible to use curious instead of prying?

While in some cases nearly identical to prying, curious, a neutral term, basically connotes an active desire to learn or to know.

children are curious about everything

When is inquisitive a more appropriate choice than prying?

The words inquisitive and prying are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, inquisitive suggests impertinent and habitual curiosity and persistent quizzing.

dreaded the visits of their inquisitive relatives

Examples of prying in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

But inquiring into the specifics of familial dynamics is impudent and prying -- and a line of questioning that most people would be happy to avoid answering themselves. —Nicholas Ivor Martin and Jacobina Martin, oregonlive, 4 Feb. 2023

But inquiring into the specifics of familial dynamics is impudent and prying — and a line of questioning that most people would be happy to avoid answering themselves. —Jacobina Martin, Washington Post, 4 Feb. 2023

The Google Nest Hub (7/10, WIRED Recommends) is a great smart display with no camera (and therefore no risk of unwanted prying eyes). —Brenda Stolyar and Medea Giordano, WIRED, 28 Nov. 2022

To my mind, however, there’s a difference between a Google or a Facebook, which provide valuable services in return for their prying eyes, and an app that serves a single, ostensibly benign purpose — parking validation. —Los Angeles Times, 12 Nov. 2021

Carry two phones While anti-spy software may be effective in staving off the prying eyes of the Chinese government, not everyone knows how to install it. —Jane Li, Quartz, 6 Aug. 2019

Its purpose: to train librarians to implement secure protocols on their own web services, and to teach members of the community to evade the prying eyes of governments, corporations, and criminal hackers. —Eoin O'Carroll, The Christian Science Monitor, 18 Oct. 2017

One reason Russians have loaded up on passports is that Cypriot citizenship helps them avoid the prying eyes of their government and pay lower taxes. —Yalman Onaran, Bloomberg.com, 11 May 2017